Emily, Germany

“When I decided to study abroad, I was sure that I’d love to go to Australia. Since I can remember, I was in love with this country and I always wanted to go there. I decided to choose a school in South Australia, because I thought that the temperatures there would be the nicest for me. Neither too cold, nor too hot. And I chose a regional school instead of a city school because I already live in a big city and always wanted to experience the countryside.

When it came to deciding about the city and school, I mostly made my decision by looking at three things:
1. The distance to the ocean
2. The subjects I could attend there
3. The school uniform

So, that’s how I got to Port Lincoln High school. It was close enough to the ocean, so I could just go swimming after school, which was pretty amazing! And they offered subjects like Outdoor Education, Food Technology or Woodwork which I was really looking forward to, because I’d never get the chance to study them in Germany. Plus, the school uniform looked pretty as well. And I know, most people might not care about that but I always dreamed of having a school uniform and I enjoyed it every day that I wore it.

Anyways, aside from all those things that made me chose Port Lincoln, there were so many things that made me enjoy my time there. First of all, the people there were so friendly and open-hearted. They directly made me feel welcome and home. And they were the reason why I was able to get to know the Australian way of life and the Australian slang. They showed me breathtaking beaches with white sand and turquoise water, delicious food like “Tim Tams”, “Pavlova” or “Golden Gaytime” and I got to celebrate traditional festivals like “Tunarama” with them. I got to go camping underneath millions of stars including the “Southern Cross”, next to free living kangaroos and then go surfing the next day. It was amazing!

But not only special days like these made me have such a good time. All the normal days in school and average weekends were so great as well! Just being a part of the community there and living a kinda average Australian life was actually the best I could’ve wished for. I felt like I really belonged there. And I never thought that I could find so many new good friends on the other side of the world – some of them I still call on a regular basis – and actually have a host family that I get along with so well. All of them supported me when I needed them and they were there for me when I cried about having to leave them. Even the teachers at school were people I could go to when I needed to talk or required help with something. To be honest, I actually have to say that I was looking forward to going to school every morning. I really enjoyed seeing my friends and all the nice people, wearing the school uniform and just having such fun subjects.

Of course though, I have to mention my time in the homestay as well. How could I not? I had a great host mum, Tamara, with the best and sweetest cat I ever met. And me and Tamara just got along so well. She accepted me the way I am and even encouraged me to love myself. Thanks to her I’m way more confident than I was before and just happy with myself – thanks to her, her family, my friends and all the amazing people I met. They made me feel so comfy and love that I couldn’t stand not seeing them again so I decided to come back the next holidays.

All in all, I can just say that I loved my experience down under! It was the best decision I ever made! It changed my life.
And I know it sounds kinda cheesy but it’s the truth!”